Cut Out Kid

My Cousin Was The Gateway To Metal Church

My cousin introduced me to the band Metal Church, by way of a little ditty called “Badlands,” way back in 1989. He would fly into Chicago, Ilinois, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his family every summer to visit. With him, he brought lots of heavy metal, and some Beastie Boys.

I, on the other hand, was into The Smiths and Public Enemy, to name a few, but the Beasties were definitely something we had in common.

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We both loved music and we would share much of the stuff we were listening to, at the time, with each other. On this particular occasion, he brought Blessing in Disguise, the third studio album from Metal Church. On that record was “Badlands,” and I was instantly hooked with the chorus.

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I’ve always loved the song and I thought I would share a recent version they did. You never hear one-minute intros anymore, and they really build this one up before Mike Howe (who, crazy to think, was the new vocalist for the band at the time) comes in. It’s a great listen, enjoy!

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